Hysain Says God Bless The ‘Banga Phone’
With his new single, ‘Banga Phone’, dancehall artiste HySain presents a radical idea that one must be thankful for all blessings, even invoking the name of God for the humblest gifts, even a simple ‘banga phone’.
“God is in everything we do. I am a grateful individual who’s thankful for the simplest of things. The Banga phone is one of those items on my gratitude list. A lot of people can’t afford these expensive smartphones on the market so this is my way of encouraging them to give thanks whatever they possess, even if it is a banga phone,” the artist, whose real name is Marlon Morgan, said.
“Don’t knock the banga phone, it’s still a communication device. It helps to keeps you in touch with your job, business, families and friends all over.”
Banga phone is a colloquial term used to refer to basic prepaid phones without the typical bells and whistles that allow access to the Internet. The sim card is replaced frequently to avoid leaving a trail and being caught by authorities fighting illegal activities.
The single was released on a Florida-based label Slap Up Records. Grimy visuals featuring booty-shaking girls, designer clothes and luxury cars were released for the project on May 5th 2023, racking up over 350,000 views..
Hysain aka I-Sane grew up in the Spring Head district of Oracabessa, St Mary and attended Oracabessa High School. He got involved in music at an early age as he had an older brother who was a great DJ called Appleton. He often practised his brother’s songs, and as he grew older, he began to pen his own songs. Pulled to the reggae side of the business, he chose the artiste name, I-Sane.
“The significance of my name is basically blessings and good over evil,” he explained.
He released his first major song, “I’m So Blessed” in 2013 on the Down to Earth Records imprint based in Florida, and put out a slew of conscious reggae songs urging righteousness and upliftment. Years after, he migrated to the USA, and recently changed his name to HySain tor reflect the grimier side of his musical output.
Even with the viral success of Banga Phone, HySain will not abandon his mission to elevate black people with socially consious songs.
“I’m still doing culture music and I will never stop doing culture songs. I have a reality song coming soon called “Sleep Mark Death” so my fans can look out for that one,” he said
He plans to release a seven-song EP this fall.
“I am going to continue making good music to entertain, educate, uplift and strengthen people all over the world. I will continue doing my best best and as you know, the sky has no limit,” he said.